April 29, 2024 Dolphin Digest – TPES PTA Weekly Newsletter

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In this issue: 
1. Next PTA Meeting – Tuesday, May 7th, 7-8pm via Zoom
2. Seeking 2-4 Additional Kindergarten Parents to Participate in Panel for Incoming K Families
3. Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 6-10: Need fruit and quiches!
4. TPES vs. PBES Soccer Game: May 9, 6:15pm
5. Parent Input for Next Year’s Class
6. Incoming Kindergarten “Parents Only” Registration and Tour: May 2-3
7. Anacostia Watershed Cleanup: May 11th, 1-4pm
8. Calling All Parents and Guardians – Field Day is Coming: May 13, 15, 16
9. TPES Art Show: Thursday, May 23
10. Career Day Volunteers Needed: May 29
11. Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting: May 30, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
12. Upcoming TPES Events 

1. Next PTA Meeting – Tuesday, May 7th, 7-8pm via Zoom
After a brief presentation from the TPES Food Forest, we’ll go into breakout rooms for panel discussions on: 1) transition to Takoma Park Middle Schoo for current fifth graders; 2) transition from TPES to PBES for current second graders; and 3) transition to Kindergarten for rising Kindergartners. Zoom link will be sent a few hours before the meeting.
Do you know a rising K family who you’d like to invite? Please send them this link to register (so they can receive the Zoom link): https://forms.gle/zW5Fot93DRDRDxAL8
 
2. Seeking 2-4 Additional Kindergarten Parents to Participate in Panel for Incoming K Families
The PTA is looking for volunteers to join us at our May 7th PTA meeting, from 7-8pm, for a panel discussion for rising K families to share your experience and answer questions about the transition and what to expect.  If you can help, please email Joyce McDonough at communications@tpespta.net.
 
3. Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 6-10
We have a wonderful team of parent volunteers who are planning activities to help our TPES teachers and staff feel loved and appreciated for all of the hard work they put in each and every day for our children! If you are interested, there are a couple ways you can also help, which are listed below. 
  • Have your child make a card of appreciation for their teacher(s)! Your room parent might have already sent out a message about this, but as a reminder, we encourage you to have your child make a card for their classroom teacher, specials teachers or other support staff they admire. Please have students bring in their cards the week of May 6-10. 

4. TPES vs. PBES Soccer Game: May 9, 6:15pm
We have a full roster for TPES, including five teachers – thank you! This should be a lot of fun! We are still looking for volunteers to 1) help organize a bake sale, 2) help with logistics on the day of, 3) a referee (and maybe line judges), and 4) an emcee/announcer.  Please reach out to president@tpespta.net if you are interested in volunteering in one of these ways. And if you’re not playing or volunteering, we encourage you and your family to come out to watch the game…the kids will be so excited to see their teachers in action! What: Friendly soccer game of TPES Staff and Parents vs. PBES Staff and Parents
Date: May 9th, 2024 (Rain date: May 23, 2024)
Location: Washington Adventist University Field 
Time: 
5:45 PM – Players arrive for warm-up
6:15 PM – Game Begins
7:00 PM – Dance party on the field for children 

Dinner: Pizza will be served for $1 a slice, as well as water and juice. Pizza supply will be limited, so come on the early side if you want to grab some for dinner! 
Cost: There is NO fee to attend, but if your family is inclined, there will be a $5 suggested donation to help cover costs and fundraise for the PTAs of both schools. 

Team Captains:
TPES: Nick Dean (nickdean10@gmail.com)
PBES: Becca Jones-Albertus (beccaj@gmail.com)

*If you are playing for TPES, please wear a white shirt. If you are playing for PBES, please wear a dark blue or black shirt. 
 
5. Parent Input for Next Year’s Class

Please use the attached form to tell the school about your child’s learning style and needs. The form is an opportunity to provide input into your child’s class placement for the 2024-2025 school year. This spring, TPES staff will begin the process of developing classes for next year. This work will continue into the summer. The school’s goal is to make the best student-teacher match possible and staff will use the information in this form to help guide their work.

6. Incoming Kindergarten “Parents Only” Registration and Tour: May 2 and 3

TPES will host “parent only” registration days on May 2nd, and May 3rd . The registration will include a paperwork/enrollment check, parent interview, and tour of the building. Please contact Mrs. Hottel-Cox via email (Anne_M_Hottel-Cox@mcpsmd.org) to schedule your registration. For information regarding kindergarten enrollment for the 2024-25 school year, including important documents needed to register,please visit the MCPS website (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/kindergarten/).

7. Anacostia Watershed Cleanup: May 11th, 1-4pm
The students and families of TPES are invited to help pick up litter and plant native plants on May 11th, 1-4pm at the TPES school grounds and the areas surrounding in the Anacostia Watershed

8. Calling All Parents and Guardians – Field Day is Coming: May 13, 15, 16
Field Day is coming for all grade levels in May. We need many parent volunteers to have a successful experience for our children. A Signup Genius link will be sent out next week for parents to sign up to help and have fun with our kiddos. The dates are as follows:

Kindergarten- May 13th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Rain date-May 20th, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
First Grade- May 15th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Rain date-May 22nd, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Second Grade- May 16th, 9:30-11:00 a.m. Rain date-May, 23rd, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

9. TPES Art Show: Thursday, May 23

 Our school Art Show is May 23rd! The Art Show Team is seeking parent volunteers to help hang art in our halls from May 13th through May 22nd! Keep an eye out for our sign-up sheet coming out soon from Ms. Kelley.

10. Career Day Volunteers Needed: May 29

No matter what you do – banker, nurse, architect, dentist, police officer, lawyer, military, computer engineer, bus driver, or doctor – the children can learn about the world of work from you! So, if you, a relative, a neighbor, or a friend has a job that you love to talk about and share with others, being a Career Day speaker would be a perfect fit!

Volunteering does not guarantee that you will be called on to present. We will do our best to make sure we get a wide variety of careers to showcase to our students. If you are selected, you are committing to stay the entire morning session and present to 3 different classes. Each presentation will last 30 minutes (20 minutes of talking, 10 minutes of Q&A with students).

If you are interested in being a Career Day speaker or know someone who might be, please complete the interest form before April 26, 2024!
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Althofer at Max_P_Althofer@mcpsmd.org or Mrs. Ampofo at Charlotte_Ampofo@mcpsmd.org.

11. Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting: May 30, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
The staff of Takoma Park Elementary School will host an incoming kindergarten parent meeting on May 30, 2024. The meeting will be held virtually and will include interpreters for Spanish and Amharic.

12. Upcoming TPES Events 

May 2-3: Incoming Kindergarten “Parents Only” Registration and Tour
May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7: May PTA Meeting, 7-8pm via Zoom
May 9, 6:15pm: TPES vs. PBES Soccer Game
May 11th, 1-4pm: Anacostia Watershed Cleanup @ TPES
May 13, 15, 16: Field Day
May 14: No School, Election Day
May 23: TPES Art Show
May 29: Career Day
May 30, 7pm: Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting
 
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